How to Grow and Care for Heavenly Bamboo
Looking to upgrade your garden with a durable evergreen shrub that provides year-round interest and doesn’t require the backbreaking labor of higher-maintenance plants, such as roses or hedges?
Look no further than heavenly bamboo.
We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
A shrub with roots in Asian history, Nandina domestica is resistant to pests and disease, and is very adaptable to many different types of exposures.
It’ll do well in a variety of soil textures, and will visually change leaf shades in a kaleidoscopic manner as the seasons change. Its plumes of cream-white flowers and bright red berries are attractive in the landscape and to beautiful songbirds.
Save for the occasional pruning and fertilization, this plant is pretty hands-off, making it a valid candidate for the laissez-faire gardener.
Check out what’s ahead, folks:
Before we dive in, a word of warning: N. domestica is considered invasive in much of the southeastern US.
Texas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Maryland, Louisiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Virginia have all classified the shrub as an invasive planting.
Before you plant, make sure to check your local laws.
Cultivation and HistoryAlong with gunpowder, kites, and brain surgery, heavenly bamboo was first utilized by the Chinese. At the time of the Tang Dynasty, gardeners cultivated N. domestica as far back as the sixth century BCE.
From there, the plant was introduced to the Japanese in the 1600s, and has since been naturalized in central and southern regions of the country.
It was in the Land of the Rising Sun that heavenly bamboo was
Read more on gardenerspath.com
